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Tag Archives: thrill rides
Top 10 Activities for Adults at Walt Disney World
For those of you who think Walt Disney World is “just for kids”, thank again! There is plenty to do for adults too, including:
- Water sports: You can go water skiing, jet-skiing, rent a boat (motorboats, or pedal boats and canoes for the more physically inclined), and even go para-sailing at several WDW resorts
- Sample some world-class cuisine: WDW has become very famous for it’s food, from delicious pastries and baked goods to 5 star cuisine and foods from all over the world, it truly is a dining experience like no other (It’s not just burgers and fries like you might expect at a theme park, although if you really want a burger, they have some super delicious ones!)
- Go on a “Beer Tour” around Epcot: The Epcot World Showcase features countries and their cultures, traditions, foods, and drinks. Each country serves ‘adult beverages’ you would find if you were actually visiting that country, and going from place to place sampling the native drinks is a great way to spend an afternoon. Or try our Disney Around the World Showcase Challenge.
- Nightlife: Catch some live music at the House of Blues, take in La Nouba (Disney’s exclusive Cirque Du Soleil show), or just stroll along the paths of Downtown Disney at night.
Top 5 Thrill Rides at Walt Disney World
For those of you who love amusement parks and roller coasters and the general feeling of going fast, try these WDW rides:
1. Rock N Roller Coaster –This Aerosmith themed roller coaster is located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you embark on a VIP limo ride to an Aerosmith concert. You travel up and down and even upside down as you race to get to the show on time. The best part? It goes 0 to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds!
2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – A part of Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom, this coaster puts you on a runaway train ride without a conductor! Speeds reach up to 30 mph which may not seem like much, but pair that with sharp turns and you will be holding onto the safety bar real tight for sure!
3. Space Mountain – Speed through space on this space age themed coaster that’s staged mostly in the dark, so there’s even more suspense since you can’t even see what’s coming!
4. Expedition Everest – Speed through the mountains, dive into glacier valleys, and climb up through snow covered peaks on this train tour of Mount Everest. Beware of the yeti who is lurking nearby, looking to ruin your ride!
5. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – The idea behind this one is a family came to stay at the Hollywood Tower Hotel one night, and disappeared somewhere on the 13th floor. Of course the regular elevator is out of service, so your ride vehicle is the super creepy freight elevator, where you encounter a huge sudden drop (a result of the cables snapping in the elevator). The great thing about this ride is that it’s never the same twice – the number of times/how far you drop is random, so it really is a thrill each time
Disney World is more than the castle and characters, they really do have some great rides that adults can enjoy as well.
Need something a little more tame after doing all the rides listed above? Check out my blog for my “Top 5 rides for the kid in you” series, rides that may not get your adrenaline pumping, but they are still a good time for those of all ages!
Related articles
- Top 10 Extreme Rides at Walt Disney World (chipandco.com)
- Ride the Disney World Mountains (chipandco.com)
Top 10 Activities for Adults at Walt Disney World
For those of you who think Walt Disney World is “just for kids”, thank again! There is plenty to do for adults too, including:
- Water sports: You can go water skiing, jet-skiing, rent a boat (motorboats, or pedal boats and canoes for the more physically inclined), and even go para-sailing at several WDW resorts
- Sample some world class cuisine: WDW has become very famous for it’s food, from delicious pastries and baked goods to 5 star cuisine and foods from all over the world, it truly is a dining experience like no other (It’s not just burgers and fries like you might expect at a theme park, although if you really want a burger, they have some super delicious ones!)
- Go on a “Beer Tour” around Epcot: The Epcot World Showcase features countries and their cultures, traditions, foods, and drinks. Each country serves ‘adult beverages’ you would find if you were actually visiting that country, and going from place to place sampling the native drinks is a great way to spend an afternoon
- Nightlife: Catch some live music at the House of Blues, take in La Nouba (Disney’s exclusive Cirque Du Soleil show), or just stroll along the paths of Downtown Disney at night
- Shopping: Downtown Disney is the home to a large number of stores (many of which are non Disney related, so if you are in the market for a souvenir without the Mouse on it, this is the place for you!). It’s a great place to visit because you don’t need a park ticket for it, and there are tons of great restaurants should you get hungry from all the shopping!
- Golf: WDW is home to 5 golf courses (three of which are PGA courses), so if golf is your thing they’ve got you covered
- Spa Treatments: 3 full service spas insure that you will be relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to take on all that Disney has to offer
- Thrill rides: Each of the 4 parks offer rides that are perfect for the adrenaline junkie in your family; Magic Kingdom has Space Mountain, Hollywood Studios has the Rock’N’Roller Coaster, Epcot has Soarin’, and Animal Kingdom has Expedition Everest (among others!)
- Enjoying the resort offerings: All of the WDW resorts offer beautiful pools, many have sit down restaurants, bike rentals, walking/jogging paths, and much more, and a bonus here is that during the day while most folks are away at the parks, these activities may be virtually empty and ready for you to enjoy
- Beyond WDW: I know, I am supposed to be talking about what the Walt Disney World Resort has to offer for adults (which is a LOT!), but I really want to mention that beyond the Disney walls lies even more for you to enjoy, like other theme parks, more shopping and restaurants, beaches, art/history/culture galore, and so much more. Consider renting a car and spending a day away, not only will this allow you to save some money on WDW park tickets, but it will give you a chance to experience more, and after all, isn’t that what a vacation is all about?
The great minds behind WDW work very hard to make sure that there is something for those of all ages to enjoy, it truly is the place “Where Dreams Come True” for everyone (adults included!)
Related articles
- Downtown Disney removes signs, props from Pleasure Island buildings (chipandco.com)
- Oldies But Goodies – Six Things Seniors MUST Do At Walt Disney World (chipandco.com)
First-Time Experiences at Walt Disney World
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t enjoyed Splash Mountain and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror yet, don’t read this article! Everyone else, enjoy!
I think we can all agree that the first time we experienced a Disney show, Ride, or Attraction, was the best time! Not knowing what to expect only heightened the fun and made us gasp and giggle at all the right places. We can never get closer to the feelings that the Imagineers wanted to invoke in us than during our first exposure.
I’d like to share with you two such experiences from my Walt Disney World visits.
Example One: The first year my wife and I visited The Magic Kingdom together; one of the first Attractions we wanted to ride was Splash Mountain. I knew quite a bit about the original movie that it was based on, but knew almost nothing about the Ride itself. But I knew the main thing to watch out for – the Drop! But when would it come?
As you probably know, the Imagineers fake you out several times during the Ride with smaller drops. But during our first ride we braced for The Big One each and every time! This added an extra level of suspense to the Ride that is now gone as we ride as experienced Guests. Or is it?
We now enjoy living vicariously through the screams of the many First-timers we ride with. We know what’s coming up, but they don’t!
Example Two: I’m almost embarrassed about this next one! The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is an obvious Screamer of an Attraction. You know going in that you are going to drop many times. But again, as a Newbie, I didn’t know quite when the drop would begin, or how bad it would be. So as I was all caught up in the preamble of the show, we entered the Elevator Shaft. I’m expecting to drop now! Instead, the Ride Vehicle stops, and doors open in front of me (I was sitting in the front row my first time). I now have a nice view of the Hollywood Backlot. I see Herbie the Love Bug, and being a Disney Movie Geek, I turn to my wife to let her know he’s there. My words exactly: “Hey dear, look! It’s Herbie the Lo-aaaaaaaaaaaHHHH!” The Ride chose that moment to plunge me into oblivion. I was not expecting the very thing I came on the Ride for! Those Imagineers faked me out again.
Well, they can’t fool me twice, but they can fool other Newbies. So now I enjoy the Ride almost as much my umpteenth time as I watch and see others sucked in by the Imagineers!
Alert to Spoilers: We all miss our first time experiences. As the years go by, maybe they begin to fade just a little bit. But we can overcome nature’s spoiler alerts (from our memories) by not ruining the experience for others. Let others have those same magic memories by containing your impulse to yell out “Here it comes!” right before a big drop, or “Oh, watch this part!” during a Movie or Disney Show.
That way, we will all have many cherished first-time experiences at Walt Disney World.
P. S. – This goes for those of you who frequent Disneyland too!
Lee Beatens has two sides as a Writer/Artist. His writing side is showcased at the Blog called Disleelandia, and his artistic side is showcased at the Blog called The CANADIAN Kingdom. His improbable third side is showcased here. Follow me on Twitter at @disleelandia or my Disleelandia FB Fan Page.
Related articles
- Oldies But Godies – What Should We Expect From A Walt Disney World Vacation? (chipandco.com)
- TV personality Jon Stewart celebrates his daughter’s 5th birthday at Walt Disney World Feb. 4, 2011 (chipandco.com)
Oldies But Goodies – Seniors And Thrill Rides At Walt Disney World
Chip sent me an article not too long ago concerning Seniors who ride coasters. My memory was jogged by the article and reminded me of something that happened about twenty years ago.
I made my first trip to Walt Disney World at the age of 44. My Wife, Sister and I took our parents for their 50th Wedding Anniversary. At the time my Father was 79 years old and I thought he was a rather cautious individual so you can imagine my surprise when he said I’ve always wanted to try “that”. He was referring to Space Mountain and apparently my parents had made several visits to Walt Disney World without telling me – some nerve huh!! We both took our first ride on Space Mountain that day and I think Dad fared better than I did.
The article also spurred my research bug so I conducted an informal (and small) poll on a discussion board I frequent on a daily basis and found the following. Approximately 20.0% of Seniors said they would never ride a thrill ride at Walt Disney World, 46.67% said they ride some of them but stay away from the intense rides, and my personal group, 33.33% said they ride as many as possible every time they visit. I asked that only those 62+ provide answers but there were some who always travel with Seniors who answered for them.
Why do I ride them all? Because I can – I am an extremely blessed 64 year old who has no physical issues (except for motion sickness which I can almost totally control). I also love the thrill I get from the speed, g-forces, etc. I have empathy for those who have physical issues and very much respect their choice not to ride. It is far better for you to make that choice than to expose yourself to chance of injury by riding something that may put you at that kind of risk. Nothing is worth taking that type of chance.
How long will I continue to ride the thrill rides? Until my Doctor or I decide that it is no longer advisable. When that time comes I will reluctantly hang up my goose bumps and queasy stomach and learn to enjoy the more “oldie appropriate” attractions. I do encourage those who are physically able to enjoy the thrill rides to whatever level they are comfortable because like the lady in this article ( http://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2010/07/19/out-of-the-loop-are-roller-coasters-the-secret-to-agelessness/ ) it may help to keep you younger and get your blood flowing. This lady is just plain incredible and I hope to be hitting the Walt Disney World thrill rides at her age.
I do realize that the “thrill rides” at Walt Disney World are generally not at the same intensity level as the coasters etc. at many of the world’s bigger amusement parks. The theme of each attraction at Walt Disney World far exceeds the sterility of many of these real thrill rides (maybe with the exception of the Harry Potter attraction) and the story is at least as important as the thrill to me. Enjoy them while you can but stop before you put yourself in danger. See you on the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster and Mission Space!!
